THE GIFT THAT KEEPS ON GIVING

July 28, 2013

Twelve years ago I posted a commentary predicting that the detrimental
effects of George W. Bush would last at least a generation – if not in
perpetuity, long after baby boomers have left the scene. I couldn’t blame Bush
exclusively, because the “loyal” opposition maintained the character of a
Stepford wife. Al Gore had just conceded, the Supremes had delivered GW the
election where the “winner” received fewer votes, Baby Jeb had handed his
state’s electors over to big brother, and Cheney held secret
meetings with ENRON, Halliburton and petroleum giants to establish our
energy policy – invading Iraq being a vital part. (And the closed-door sessions
where the Iraq invasion was planned as a “solution” to our energy needs were
held six months before 9/11.)

It annoys me that the same Republican-dominated Supreme Court continues to
make historic decisions adverse to the country. The destruction of democracy
seems to be the objective. “Bush v. Gore” was one for the history books where
the Court, a majority of which were Republican, threw an election to the loser,
a Republican whose father appointed Clarence Thomas. Never before had the Court
awarded the presidency to the candidate with the fewest votes. We thought that
would be the end of it – that the justices had faced enough embarrassment;
they’d never do it again. But it was followed by “Citizens United.” Then last
week they struck down the 1965 “Voting Rights Act.”

Indeed, the Supreme Court is politicized to the right.

It was July 2001. My son and his new bride joined us for dinner at a local
restaurant. My son asked me what I thought of George W. Bush. Without speaking,
I impulsively scrolled across a paper napkin, “Bush – the death of the nation”
and handed it to him. Chris just laughed and said I was out of my mind. I
remember that day. My premonition was a sudden instinct, but a prediction
proven true.

Less than two months later, September 11 ensued. I was aware Bush was
ignoring intelligence reports about Al Qaeda. I had watched the CBS News
report in July 26, 2001 where the FBI advised John Ashcroft to fly leased
planes instead of commercial because terrorists were threatening to hijack
planes to use them as weapons.

At that time it seemed the Democratic Party still lacked the sense of
urgency necessary to rid the country of pestilence. A plurality of Dems went
along with the Iraq invasion, Patriot Act, spying on citizens, tax-cuts for the
wealthy, Medicare Part D, deregulation, privatization, and other such missteps
proven disastrous a few years down the road.

Several acquaintances have urged me to “move on, let bygones be bygone.”
They advise, “It’s not good to harbor ill-will.”

But isn’t that what they always say when Republicans sabotage the country?
We’re cautioned to “move on” when the Republicans do it but hold everlasting contempt
when the other side is accused of similar [which in most cases is imagined or
deliberately fabricated].

Bush is the “gift that keeps on giving.” I’m reminded of him every day –
when watching his Supreme Court knock
down the 1965 Voting Rights Act, when they equate corporations with citizens,
setting the nation’s course toward fascism. Clarence Thomas, H.W.’s appointee, should
never have been confirmed.

Samuel
Alito, with his smirking condescension, is another “gift” from the Bushes.

On June 24, 2013, Samuel Alito rolled his eyes and smirked openly when Ruth
Bader Ginsberg read her dissents to the Supreme Court wiping out of the Voting
Rights Act and other Republican-inspired decisions. His behavior is an
embarrassment to the Court.

Democrats, on the other hand, base their hopes on demographics. But what
good is the growing minority in this country when elections are rigged? Again,
it’s a display of pure naivety.

My frustration does possess a semblance of equivalency. The one party
consists of destroyers while the other contains ignorers – meanies and weinies.
Democrats are going to have to learn to fight like hell if they ever expect to
bring peace on earth.

The most disastrous reminders of the Bush terms (including Pappy) are the
Supreme Court appointees. I started to write on another subject for this
column, but the death of the Voting Rights Act enraged me. It’s like Republican
presidents have planted demon seeds in the form of Supreme Court justices, thus
their influence is felt long after they’ve left office. The nation reels under
their weight.

The 2010 election will reverberate until past 2020 due to redistricting,
gerrymandering and voter suppression. I would at least like to see light at the
end of the tunnel before my life ends. But getting rid of Republican influence
doesn’t seem to be in the cards. There are too many religious freaks in this
country who name the name of Christ but live the life of Satan, the pious
condemner. They not only know little about science, history and math; they know
little to nothing about the scriptures for which they claim monopoly.

Given the size of the religious right and given the spinelessness of the
Democratic Party, I don’t see much change for the positive – at least not in my
lifetime. It’s not that I’m a pessimist by nature, it’s that I tend to see
things as they are and will be, factoring the trends and past practices of the
nation’s major players.